Hello! This is Mary Lindsey Hannahan, writing you once again. I am now a freshman at St. Paul’s School. Most of you are familiar with the fact that I have Cystic Fibrosis and I am raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Walk-a-thon on May 2nd. I would like to thank each and every one of you who donated in the past, and I urge you to please keep giving. I also encourage those of you who have not to please start. Those who gave in the past and those who will give in the future will have all played a part in making C.F. stand for Cure Found. Cystic Fibrosis gets no federal funding, so it is because of kind people like you that new treatments are funded. Only about 30,000 children and adults in the United States have CF. CF affects mainly the lung and digestive systems. My body produces way more mucus than it should. This clogs the airways in my lungs and prevents white blood cells from coming out and doing their job, which is fighting the multitude of extra germs that get stuck in all the extra mucus. In my digestive system, the mucus blocks the digestive enzymes from doing what they should do, which is digest my food. I take about 50 pills every day, and I have to take pills every single time I eat. This is because I want to be able to digest the food, so before I eat I have to take digestive enzymes. Otherwise, I might be extremely malnourished.

I go into the hospital usually twice a year. I have had sinus surgery three times, and I will have it a fourth time in late April this year. This is because Cystic Fibrosis not only affects my lungs and digestive system, but also my sinuses. I was in the hospital this past September for my lungs and sinuses, actually. Then I had to be on two weeks of I.V. antibiotics. I will have to do this again in April. Many people with CF have to go into the hospital multiple times a year. I’m a lucky one, as ironic as that sounds. Because of people like you, those who have cystic fibrosis have a much improved quality of life. Many don’t get sick as often, and when we do it’s easier to treat because of new medicines and therapies. The average life span of someone with CF goes up a year, every year. Right now it’s at about 39. This seems really young, and it is. But it’s practically ancient compared to what the life span was about fifteen years ago.

The reason this means so much to me is because it would grant every wish I have consistently wished for on every birthday cake and in every nighttime prayer since I was diagnosed with the disease at 22 months old. I try as hard as I can to remain positive and upbeat every day. But as I get older, and the disease progresses, it proves extremely difficult to do so. But I try because, to be honest, this is an unpredictable disease, and who knows when I won’t have that chance anymore? My one single wish is to wake up one morning and not think, “when would it be best to do my morning treatments?” or take all my pills with breakfast. I don’t want to skip them because I want to, I want to skip them because I don’t need them anymore. I want to be free from the confining barriers of this disease. I want to be able to be like all my friends, and not make them sit for an hour every morning and night I stay with them while I do my treatments so I can stay somewhat healthy. I want to be able to laugh wholeheartedly without having a coughing fit afterwards. I want to be able to run and not be out of breath and coughing after a short time.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to grant my biggest, and everyone with Cystic Fibrosis’ biggest wish. So thank you, once again, for everything you have done and hopefully will do to help all of us afflicted with this life-threatening disease. Thank you for helping make our dream a reality.

Please send your tax deductible checks to: Or donate at my website at: CF Foundation http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/ . c/o Mary Lindsey Hannahan Then choose Make a Donation on 131 Myrtlewood Lane the left side, type Mary Hannahan in Mobile, AL 36608 the Find a Walker box, click View Walker and Finally, Please Donate! Thank you so much! Mary Lindsey Hannahan